1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer architecture design, and, in particular, to hardware and/or software interfaces between devices in a multi-processor computer system, such as those designed for telecommunications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telecommunications systems that support the transmission of signals between multiple pairs of non-co-located end users are complex computer systems that have nodes distributed over the telecommunications network, where each node in the network supports specific functions such as the switching and routing of incoming signals to appropriate destinations. Each node may have multiple processors that are designed and/or programmed to support the node's various functions. These processors communicate with one another using specified interface protocols to work together to achieve the node's functions.
Traditionally, whenever a new telecommunications system with a different set of functions and/or a different set of performance capabilities was needed, new nodes would have to be designed to meet the requirements of the new system. The design of the new nodes could be based on existing nodes designed for existing systems, but a large amount of design effort was still needed to meet the requirements of the new system.